Wednesday 24 fire update: Crews make ‘great’ progress on containment; cause released

After a week of battling the 24 fire along Colorado 115, more than 200 firefighters have managed to get the blaze to 44% containment, according to a news release Wednesday morning.

The 24 fire, which started March 18, has burned 7,385 acres on Fort Carson land between Penrose and Colorado Springs.

Colorado 115 remains closed most of the distance between Colorado Springs and Penrose, forcing commuters on a detour east on U.S. 50 to Pueblo before coming north to Colorado Springs on Interstate 25.

Officials said, ideally, conditions may allow Colorado 115 to be reopened on Friday.

Wednesday updates:

Fort Carson officials said crews have made “great progress” in strengthening control lines, removing debris and clearing the highway. Their efforts led to further containment of the blaze.

The size has remained the same since Monday.

“A reminder that containment reflects the control line’s strength, not an indication that the fire is out. A fire is only fully contained when crews are confident the fire will not be able to spread beyond the perimeter,” Fort Carson officials said in a statement.

Wednesday is expected to be the hottest day of the week, and it will also be windy. According to National Weather Service data, Colorado Springs broke its daily heat record of 75 for March 25 by at least four degrees.

The Weather Service says there is “high fire danger” for some areas as record heat continues through Thursday.

Tuesday updates:

A town hall was held Tuesday night at the Penrose Elementary School’s gymnasium, where Fort Carson Assistant Fire Chief Peter Wolf said the fire started after a “malfunctioned” vehicle pulled over and ignited the surrounding grass. He could not clarify how the vehicle set the grass on fire, which is still being investigated.

During the town hall, residents voiced that the communication from officials was poor, which Wolf took the blame for. He said different messages from separate agencies were turned into a “hodgepodge” on social media.

Wolf said the agencies gathered Sunday to devise a plan on how to better communicate with the community.

More firefighting crews have arrived to fight the 24 fire along rough, mountainous terrain, bringing the total to 240 personnel, including hotshot teams from six states.

EVACUATION UPDATE

Mandatory evacuations southwest of the fire were in effect within a 2-mile radius of County Road 245 and Colorado 115, with a pre-evacuation order within a 3-mile radius. On Monday afternoon, the pre-evacuation order was lifted and the evacuation order shifted to a pre-evacuation status, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office announced.

An additional pre-evacuation warning along Colorado 115 north of the fire in El Paso County, which was issued by the Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, was lifted on Monday afternoon.

LIVESTOCK SHELTER

The livestock shelter at Pathfinder Park Event Center near Florence was scheduled to close at noon Tuesday. Anyone who needed more time to get their animals was asked to call 719-251-0245.

The American Red Cross of Southern Colorado was expected to close its evacuation shelter at the park, according to the Sheriff’s Office.